MOSS LANDING - Majestic humpback whales have returned to Monterey Bay with some close encounters with whale-watching groups this week.

Michael Sack of Sanctuary Cruises took a group of high-schoolers out Thursday on his 43-foot boat. About 10 miles southwest of Moss Landing, they spotted a humpback mother and calf.

He said they spy-hopped, or raised their head above the water as they edged toward the boat.

"They're interested in us and they'll look at us," Sack said.

"It's a very moving experience. It's amazing," Sack said. "It's pretty rare that we have them hang out with us for two hours."

The humpback whales usually spend the winter off Latin America. They arrived in Monterey Bay earlier this month and tend to stay to November or December.

They come to feed on krill - similar to small shrimp - in the underwater canyon off Moss Landing. In the coming months the whales often come closer to shore to eat anchovies and other bait fish.

Ken Stagnaro of Santa Cruz-based Stagnaro Sport Fishing, Charters and Whale Watching Cruises said he was on a fishing trip off Davenport on Thursday when he saw humpback whales breach, or leap out of the water, several times.

"They were making an incredible splash down. It looked like a bomb going off," said Stagnaro.

He said April and May can be good months to see a variety of aquatic animals. The humpbacks arrive and gray whales migrate through the area. Orcas, or killer whales, also feed on the gray whale calves.

"It's not a pretty thought, but it's nature at work," Stagnaro said.

Stagnaro saw humpbacks on Sunday about 9 miles south of Santa Cruz.

In Monterey County, a search continued Thursday for a gray whale that tangled with a fishing net in the waters off Southern California earlier this month.

On April 17 off Orange County, a crew from the Pacific Marine Rescue Center spotted the tangled whale. They partially removed it the fishing net, but could not find the animal the next day.

Spotted off Gorda in Big Sur on Wednesday, the whale was still towing marker buoys by its head and left pectoral fin. Rescuers are looking for an opportunity to free it from the net.

In Santa Cruz County, the whale watching show this spring follows a banner fall.

Humpbacks lazed off the Santa Cruz shoreline for weeks - attracting international attention.

Stagnaro said he had seen whales come that close to shore off Manresa State Beach in the past, but it was a treat for them to be closer to Santa Cruz last fall.

They were easily seen from kayaks, surfboards and boats. Authorities warned onlookers to stay 100 yards away - for the safety of whales and humans.

Some tour operators in the fall named one of the humpbacks "Stinky" for its stench.

Sack wrote on his blog earlier this week that he too caught a whiff of the whales.

"When we got downwind from these mighty, gentle beasts we all got to know what whale breath smells like. Some suggested a cross between rotting Brussels sprouts and week-old anchovies."